NELSON, Horatio Nelson, Viscount - LAUGHTON, John Knox.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Nelson Memorial. First and limited edition, number 84 of 100 large paper copies. This is a quite dazzling extra-illustrated set, augmented by 146 original letters and documents, including 14 by Nelson, 277 engraved portraits, 194 views and naval scenes, and 8 original drawings, including portraits and sketches of Nelson and Emma Hamilton. Today, it would be nigh-on impossible to replicate such an astonishing collection of material.Two evocative examples from the autograph material are emblematic of the quality of the set as a whole: volume III includes an autograph letter by Nelson which carries a premonition of Trafalgar, a sort of "lull before the storm". It is addressed to William Beckford (1760-1844), the fabulously wealthy writer and art collector, and is addressed from Nelson's home at Merton, Surrey, and dated 31 August 1805. Two weeks later, Nelson would be at sea aboard Victory and the campaign of Trafalgar would be underway, culminating in Nelson's famous victory on 21 October 1805. Nelson tells Beckford that "Every ship even the Victory is ordered out for there is an entire ignorance whether the Ferrol fleet [the French fleet under Villeneuve, anchored at Ferrol in north-west Spain] is coming to the Northward, gone to the Mediterranean or cruizing for our valuable homeward bound fleet, I hope they will be met with and annihilated. Lady Hamilton desires me to present her kind regards". It was published in Volume Seven of Sir Harris Nicolas's edition of the Dispa

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